leaving

This is John Denver Leaving on a Jet Plane. I hear this song for the first time as a teenager. The song played in the best movie ever: My Girl 2. I hear it in my head as I step in to an airoplane. I already miss Finland. Us humans are funny with attachements and feelings making leaving difficult. I have packed like crazy and feel like taking again a giantic leap. I am talking myself to be exhited about the move. London here I come, ready or not! 

eating at a playground

We to eat almost once a week to one of the playgrounds in Helsinki. Even if you are just visiting in the summer this is worth a visit.  At noon children get free lunch, usually soup. Before and after lunch they can play at the playground with tons of other children. These pictures are from Roihuvuori, where we used to live.

bubbles and dresses

We sat on a terrace at Lasipalatsi on a July Saturday evening. 

They have salads until 21. They had bubbly rose wine.

M. was dressed lovely in bright salmon red. 

We had matching nail polish.

We continued to VinVin.

They had bubbly and a sample sale for Cherry Pickers.

It was like a surreal dream: 

Shopping clothes in Helsinki on a Saturday evening.

Helsinki was beautiful at night. 

I came home at 4 am.

birthday of my sister-in-law

My sister-in-law had her birthday last weekend

and we went to Mustikkamaa to have a picnic.

There was salad, pie, berries, candy, cake and non-alcoholic bubbly. 

I enjoyed eating and laying in the sun with no worries.

boys like flowers

My son 3 1/2 was a little worried because girls at the playground had said that his helmet was for girls. His helmet is white with pink flowers on it. He was confused because boys like flowers too. My son loves to give flowers to everyone. I said to him that boys like flowers, especially kings and princes. We had just read about king Arthur and  knights. 

It makes me angry when word girly is used in this manner, as exclusive and something little bit bad. Girly things are wonderful. We are taught that a girl can, if she wants, do boy stuff. Why do we deny small and big boys the access to girls world, to girly things? Now my son is writing a letter and pink is for his girl cousin and blue for him. Was it I who said that his cousin would like pink? Raising children is not easy when you are confronted with your on preconceptions and faults. 

After this outburst here are some pictures of happy things to do with my son in the summer in Helsinki. Pictures are taken in Tervasaari our nearest park. We take lunch with us and can spend the whole day at the park. There are lots of bushes to explore and a high climbing net. Best of all we have made new friends there.

quantity of what i need

While eating strawberries for breakfast, I try to figure out what is the quantity of all of my belongings. We are moving to London. I have hired a moving company and get to put all of our stuff again in boxes.  I have made crazy but useful Exel Charts of our stuff. It has two pages. We have given away a lot, but even with the necessary there are boxes and boxes. I also don´t want to leave something here that I have to buy again in UK. I don´t get sleep at night, but keep thinking:"Where did I but that kitchen towel?Is it in the right box?"

Summer has flown by so quickly. We have just settled in and here we go again. I am happy about Finnish beans and rye bread with yogurt and feta cheese. We have spend time with good friends and made new ones. 

hidden garden

 There are hidden gardens in the city. 

 I found one at the library (Rikhardinkadun kirjasto).

Another one was on the porch of a clothing shop.

eating at the botanical garden

My friend Daisy had ordered a cake for the wrong day by accident.

So we  went to the botanical garden to eat the cake and some sushi. 

Children loved the sushi and went to play

while grownups enjoyed the cake and some sparkling wine.

This is taken in the morning at the Dragon Park (Lohikäärmepuisto) in Vuosaari.

He was full of energy with his helmet and scooter. 

After a long fun day in the sun, my son was so tired I had to carry him home.